We held this issue back a week to be able to bring you a
fresh blast of spring release news on software in development. The forums
produce a great application of the expanded tabs capability
in SecureCRT® 5.1. A link to a review of some basic security concepts
follows. And to balance that, some classic silly user stories.

-------------Contents
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1. It's Official! SecureFX® 3.1 and SecureCRT 5.1, That Is
2. Are You Being Served? VShell® 2.6: Ready To Serve You
3. Heard On The Forums: Opening Multiple Connections
4. Are You Smart Yet? Identity vs. Authentication
5. Computers And Comedy: Sysadmin Chuckle Time
6. New and Current Releases

Was it only last month that we told you about the availability of new
versions of SecureCRT and SecureFX? How time flies; now, there are official
releases on the VanDyke Software web site. If you were busy in the last
eight weeks, and didn't download a beta release, it's time to look at
the freshest software yet.

Last month we focused on the new FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptography in
SecureCRT 5.1 and SecureFX 3.1. Of course, we can't neglect X.509 certificate
forwarding via CAPI, either, or easier reauthentication with X.509 using
public-key agent. Network administrators may get more excited about X.509
and FIPS, but most everyday users look for user productivity benefits.
For you, we zero in on improvements to the Activator and tab controls.

If you are forever opening and closing sessions, you will like Activator
support for Secure Shell agent functionality (Activator is a system tray
interface included with SecureCRT and SecureFX that manages sessions and
launches new ones). If the Activator is running, SecureCRT or SecureFX
can be closed and you don't have to reauthenticate to reopen a session.
If you haven't been an Activator user, give it a look -- the time you
save may be your own.

Tabs are proof that you can never get enough of a good thing. SecureCRT
5.1 has a global option to show tabs only when there are multiple tabs
open. That's on top of the ability to open multiple tabbed sessions from
the Connect dialog or by right-clicking on a session folder. SecureFX
also supports multi-session launch, opening the sessions in separate windows.
See the tip in the Heard on the Forums section below for one way to use
opening multiple sessions from the Connect dialog.

Lastly, SecureCRT's chat window gets history support in this release,
which allows you to view, edit, and send previous commands.

For more information on the SecureCRT 5.1, SecureFX 3.1, and CRT®
5.1 releases, please visit the VanDyke Software web site product
section.

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2. Are You Being Served? VShell 2.6: Ready To Serve You
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The latest official release of VShell for Windows uses a FIPS 140-2 validated
cryptographic library for use under U.S. Government IT regulations. Installing
in "FIPS Mode" sets up the system to use only FIPS-approved
algorithms.

A new authentication choice supports RADIUS servers using SecurID or
other methods, employing the Secure Shell keyboard-interactive authentication
mechanism.

A Deny Host file has been added to help thwart dictionary attacks. VShell
for Windows can track failed authentications by IP address, adding these
addresses to a Deny Host file after reaching a specified threshold of
connection attempts. Once an IP address has been added to the Deny Host
file, VShell disallows connections from that address.

One working-class dad was known to regularly ask his college student
son, "Well, are you smart yet?" These days trying to be smart
doesn't end with a college diploma, especially in network security. We
recently came across an article on the difference between identity and
authentication. If fuzz has grown around concepts you once knew, read
this Microsoft TechNet article by Steve Riley on "Why Identity and
Authentication Must Remain Distinct". As a bonus, especially for
horror movie buffs, there's a grisly example of why a biometric system
always needs to have a secret authentication method.

Seriously, if you've ever been tempted to set a password to be the same
as your user ID (of course not, but maybe you "have a friend"
who did this once), this article explains why you always want to have
a different user ID ("identity") than your password ("authentication").
And why high-tech-wizard authentication methods like fingerprint and iris
scanning still need a separate/secret component to be secure.

Just in time for the season when you really need a good laugh, we bring
you a piece from Network World Online. In "They've Heard 'Em All",
by Jennifer Mears and Denise Dubie, system administrators give up their
best silly user stories, replete with frozen computers, fresh cookies,
and restarting the internet. If you have heard all these you are a real
warhorse – better go eat some clover.

Actually, I bet you have better tales than these. If you do, send them
to us at
– we need laugh too, and if they're good we might pass them on.

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6. New and Current Releases
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Official releases of SecureCRT 5.1, SecureFX 3.1, and CRT 5.1 were made
March 28, with new tab launching capability and FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptographic
library. The official release of the VShell server version 2.6 was made
March 30 with a FIPS library option and other changes to improve authentication
and configuration. Please see above or visit the VanDyke web site for
more information.

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